BOXING’S OSCARS HIT THE BIG APPLE
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR BRIAN NORMAN JR. KO 5 JIN SASAKI *Only Brian Norman Jr. was in attendance.
ROUND OF THE YEAR SEIYA TSUTSUMI DRAW 12 DAIGO HIGA (ROUND 9) *Only Seiya Tsutsumi was in attendance. “I was there to win the fight and give everything I had. Even in the round I was knocked down (Round 9), it didn’t faze me. I just knew I had to go out there and win. “I plan to unify the [bantamweight] titles, but there may be difficulties there. For the time being, I’m going to win every fight they put in front of me.”
“[Winning this award] means a whole lot to me. It’s just amazing that the real deal [The Ring Magazine says] you are going down in history … forever. “[I’ve never scored a better knockout] in sparring, outside fighting or anywhere else at all. This is that one. When I hit him with that shot, my eyes were locked on him, and I saw the back of his head hit the ground. I knew it was drastic!”
PROSPECT OF THE YEAR EMILIANO VARGAS
TRAINER OF THE YEAR SHINGO INOUE *Comments were delivered via recorded acceptance speech.
“[Being named Prospect of the Year] only motivates me. I’m blessed that I’m surrounded by greatness. I was trying not to get too emotional up there. Like every other fighter here, even the nominees, we give our blood, sweat and tears to this sport. I’m happy to be recognized for something I give my life to. So many great nominees, but it was God’s will for me to win tonight, and I just want to continue to win. That’s all I wanna do. “Some people can win, while some people can perform. That’s the difference between good fighters and great fighters. I definitely want to be remembered as a great fighter and make headlines.”
“I am deeply honored to win the Trainer of the Year award. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at The Ring, and my special thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. “Over the past year, we’ve had five world title fights – four for Naoya and one for Takuma. I am truly happy that our training, where we always gave everything, has produced these results. “The award is not mine alone. It belongs to Naoya and Takuma, who worked hard with me, Chairman Ohashi, and everyone who has supported us. I will continue to work even harder to deliver fights that inspire and move people.”
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD LARRY MERCHANT
*Comments were delivered via recorded acceptance speech. “I am not used to being awarded, but this seems special. “I had a 30-year career at HBO. Thirty years, and they put up with my shtick. Example: Roy Jones, one of the stars of his time, had a multi- fight contract with HBO. But Roy Jones and his handlers decided to use that contract to fight the feeblest opposition they could find. After one of those fights, I said something like, ‘We like to bring you great fights, but tonight we brought you junk!’ A few weeks later, I bumped into Seth Abraham, the executive in charge of sports at HBO. He put his arms on my shoulders and said, ‘You make my job harder,’ meaning negotiations with the Jones team or any other team. I smiled, and he said, ‘But keep doing what you’re doing!’ “So my advice to all my old pals out there in the boxing world: Find a guy in your building who gets it, who understands good television, gives you a long, long rope and a long career with it. Thank you!”
UPSET OF THE YEAR JOSE ARMANDO RESENDIZ UD 12 CALEB PLANT *Only Jose Armando Resendiz was in attendance. “I’m very happy and thankful to God. I’m going to continue to work very hard on the things I’ve been doing. I’m just very thankful to be here with Ring Magazine. “We put a lot of pressure [on Plant] from the first round. That’s something we worked on in the gym during training camp. I was listening to my corner, everything they were saying. I was putting pressure on in that fight. “I want better fights for myself [in 2026].”
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